Chapter 3

"Sorry I'm late," she smiled, her gaze falling on me with a hint of amusement.

I watched her approach, ignoring Sophia's displeased expression, and said gently, "It's alright, Emma. We haven't been here long either."

Sophia scrutinized Emma, her face darkening, "Honey, who is this?"

I introduced calmly, "This is Emma, my senior from university."

Turning to Emma, I said, "Emma, this is my wife, Sophia, and this is... my wife's friend, Lucas."

Sophia didn't extend her hand, her expression even more unpleasant.

Emma directly linked arms with me and said, "Hello everyone, I'm James's college classmate. James is a great guy, we were very close in college, and I've always seen him as a little brother."

Hearing this, Sophia's face darkened further, and she let go of Lucas's arm.

For the rest of the shopping trip, Sophia was clearly distracted.

I didn't pay attention to her, instead walking directly into a jewelry store. Sophia and Lucas followed.

Under the lights, a dazzling array of gold jewelry sparkled. My gaze locked onto an intricately crafted gold bracelet with several small diamonds embedded in it, shimmering brilliantly under the lights.

"Emma, today is your birthday. This is for you," I picked up the bracelet and handed it to Emma.

Emma covered her mouth in surprise, "This... it's too expensive, I can't accept it."

"Take it, it's just a birthday gift," I smiled, placing the bracelet on Emma's wrist. "It suits you well."

The price tag on the bracelet clearly read "$24,000". Seeing the price, Sophia's face instantly turned sour.

"Hmph, quite generous, aren't you?" she said sarcastically, her tone bitter. She walked to the side, pretending to look at other jewelry, seemingly wanting to pick something for herself.

I ignored her and directly led Emma out of the jewelry store.

I thought I heard her grinding her teeth behind me.

After leaving the jewelry store, the atmosphere became even more awkward. Sophia's hostility towards Emma was obvious:

"Miss Emma seems very close to James. If I didn't know better, I'd think you two were a couple."

She glanced at me reproachfully.

Emma responded calmly, "James is a good person, he takes care of all his friends. Don't misunderstand, sister."

She leaned closer to Sophia and whispered, "Let me tell you a secret, James was very popular with girls in the past. Everyone used to say he was handsome, capable, and considerate."

I blushed hearing these words about myself.

Sophia forced a smile, "Is that so? Seems like I have good taste."

Emma pointed at Lucas and teased, "Of course, but compared to this gentleman beside you, James is still a bit lacking. Look at him, his eyes haven't left you since we came in."

Her words were too direct, and Lucas felt a bit awkward, coughing twice, "No, no, Miss Emma, you're too kind."

After shopping, Emma left first.

Lucas turned to Sophia and asked, "It's still early, why don't we go somewhere to sit for a while?"

Sophia refused, "No, we have something to do. We're going home first."

He raised an eyebrow, seeming a bit surprised.

Sophia pulled me away hurriedly. As soon as we got to the car, she started questioning me:

"Who exactly is that Emma?"

"Just a friend, a college classmate."

"Just a friend and you give her such an expensive gift!"

"It's her birthday, of course I should give her a gift! Besides, didn't you give Lucas gifts too?"

She was momentarily speechless.